Tracy/Milroy/Balaton has officially been accepted into the Camden Conference. The change becomes effective with the 2005--06 school year.

Activities Director Bill Tauer reported to District 417 school board members last week that the Camden Conference had voted to allow Panther athletic teams into the conference.

All Camden Conference members, with the exception of Ellsworth, voted in favor of TMB membership. Others voting were Canby, Dawson-Boyd, Lakeview, Lake Benton, Lincoln HI, Minneota, and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton.

TMB has been a member of the 212 Conference since the mid-1990s. Members are BOLD, Renville County West, Yellow Medicine East, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, MACCRAY, Central Minnesota Christian, and Kerkhroven-Mudock-Sunburg.

Tracy school officials have sought a new conference alignment that reduced travel. In the 212 conference, a 45-mile trip to Granite Falls is the closet out-of-town trip for TMB. The longest trip is 113 miles to Grove City.

Camden Conference representatives voted to deny applications from four other 212 Conference schools: MACCRAY, Renville County West, Central Minnesota Christian, and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.

Boys savor the highlights

The Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panther boys' basketball team wrapped up the 2003-04 season with a year-end banquet honoring the players, the coaching staff, the participants, the parents, the family, and friends who help make the program run.

Seven panthers in all walked away with awards from this 2003-04 season.

After an eight-win seventeen-loss season by the Panther Varsity, the Panthers will graduate five letter winners in tri-captain's Ross Ladehoff, Eric Peterson, and Kyle Stibbe, along with Anders Davidson, and Pat Spielman. All five of these players were an important part of the rebuilding process of this program.

The Panthers will also return seven letter winners, led by the Panther boys' basketball 212 All-Conference selection Sean Kirk, John Knott, Chris Bangasser, Donald Strand, Jason Heern, Adam Louwagie, and Derek Radke.

The captains for the 2004-05 season, along with information for the TMB Panther boys' basketball camp and summer basketball program will be forthcoming.

Youth wrestlers qualify for region tourney

The Tracy/Milroy/Balaton youth wrestling program advanced 19 kids to the Northland Youth Wrestling Association (NYWA) Tournament in Windom on March 27.

Wrestlers qualified in district-level competition at Minneota and Springfield, Friday and Saturday. The tournament format allows the top two wrestlers in each grouping of four to advance to the regional tournament.

At the regional tournament, the top three individuals advance to the state tournament held at the Rochester Civic Center in early April. Local wrestlers who haven't qualified for region competition have one more opportunity in Adrian Saturday.

Placings for the Minneota meet were:

First—Jack Korteum, Josh Coyle, Ian Mariner, Becca Fedde, Bradly Schmidt, Zach Campbell, Luke Prairie, and Jordan Rolling.

Second—Caleb Christian, Austin Peterson, Cody Christian, Kody Kirsh, and Erik Cooreman.

Third—Daulton Carlson, Dwyane Fedde, Brandon Schroeder, Jared Towne, Alex Blegen, and Colton Evans.

Fourth—Joe Ruppert.

Results from the Springfield meet were:

First—Josh Coyle, Zach Campbell.

Second—Brandon Schroeder, Dwayne Fedde, Jared Town, Alex Blegen.

Fourth—Daulton Carlson